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Green eyes grew round as it clicked that the man at the desk was the gym leader himself. "Oh! I didn't realize," he said with a breathless laugh as air slowly returned to his lungs.[break][break]

"Yeah, Lam. That's me." He nodded, following Alexei's lead. "Glad to meet you, erh..sir?" Was that how you addressed gym leaders? He wasn't sure. He hadn't called CIAN MAHER sir, but then again, Lam was pretty sure he didn't call him anything. Though he had been called a little pogchamp. Which he was still trying to make sense of, really.[break][break]

"I'm good!" No nerves here! Well, that wasn't wholly true. He still had some match jitters. It was still a new thing, despite his training and practice matches with others. And definitely not like the act of catching pokemon out in the wild.[break][break]

Still, though! He was more excited than anything else. Particularly because the fortree gym and its gym leader held particular interest for Lam in and of itself. Simply due to shared preference in birds and flying-types.

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That laughter was infectious, and Lam found himself laughing along as he shook his head.“Alright, no more sirs.”[break][break]

He followed in anticipation, eyes bright. “I’m looking forward to it!” But saying as much was nothing compared to actually seeing the space in real time. Openly gawking, his face lit up in obvious delight.[break][break]

Birds everywhere. Phenomenal, superb, the best.[break][break]

“It was 2 on 2, if I remember correctly!” Though he could probably manage 1 on 1 alright if need be. His glance had fixed itself upward as all sorts of avians drifted through the air. “They’re everywhere…it’s amazing.”

Did he sound a little dreamy as he spoke? Absolutely.

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“I won’t waste anymore time, then!” he replied, mirroring the gym leader’s movements as he came to stand opposite on the field. In two bright flashes of light, his shiny shinx and pidove joined him on the field. Poppy fluttered around his head for a moment, before landing atop of it as she waited.[break][break]

He’d been confident in his choices initially, but now…he felt a bit silly for it. Would it be laughable since they were both, well, pre-evolved stages? And tiny to boot.[break][break]

No. Now wasn’t the time to second guess his choices. They were little, but still well trained. The aim was to be unexpected, even if they didn’t hold up with longevity. That was something to learn, he supposed. But hopefully they’d do the trick![break][break]

Static crackled around the shinx as he darted forward, ready to send a SHOCK WAVE at the opponent sent his way. Poppy eventually left her perch as well–fluttering up into the sky to meet her own opposite with a RAZOR WIND.

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Lam looked up as the huge flock of pelipper drew close overhead. “Woah…”[break][break]

The sight was also a bit daunting, especially as the persistent little shiny wingull swooped down for the battle. He hadn’t forgotten quickly the harrowing experience of having to bolt from the Lilycove docks to get away from the chase of a dozen hangry wingull a few months prior.[break][break]

It seemed Noodle hadn’t quickly forgotten, either. The shinx darted to the side as the green-tipped wingull dived in, but it was the yanma that drew his attention and fire. When the SHOCK WAVE was blocked, he was only emboldened to push forward.[break][break]

With a meow that made it obvious he was a bit big for his britches, the little feline pulled down a pulse of THUNDER from the sky– aiming for the air directly above the yanma as he darted into its shadow on the ground below.[break][break]

Confident that her attack would push back the other oncomer, Poppy was smacked back by the WATER PULSE as the wingull cut through. Twittering in annoyance as water droplets soaked her silvery blue feathers, her small wings worked double time to shake the dampness free.[break][break]

“Okay Pops, show ‘em how tough you are!” With another trill, the pidove surges forward as energy charges up around her. She sails straight toward the wingull to tackle him with the power of a DRAGON HAMMER.

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Lam unfortunately knew nothing of the yanma’s ability, and was therefore a bit vexed as it continued to dodge attacks sent its way. Not that he let this show, or used it as a means to let up or give up the effort to eventually catch the bug-type in a bind.[break][break]

The shrill sound that coursed through the airwaves impacted the shinx with his keen ears most of all. Quickly, Noodle was crouching, paws curled over his head to blot out the sound to little effect as the two birds continued to batter against one another in the air above.[break][break]

“Switch up!” Lam called out, hands cupped around his mouth to be sure both pokemon heard him over the lingering ringing of the yanma’s bug buzz. His own nose had wrinkled up from the shrill sound, though Poppy looked largely unbothered by it. Noodle, however, shook his little head again–large ears flopping side to side as he tried to dispel the fuzziness that lingered in his hearing from the attack.[break][break]

He still received the command, and darted away from the yanma’s shadow. As his pidove twisted backward through the air as a result of the wingull’s impact, a quick VOLT SWITCH had the two switching opponents as he shot a burst of electricity at the water-based avian.[break][break]

Once Poppy had righted herself, she flew wide in an arc, trying to catch the quick yanma as she unleashed a rippling HEAT WAVE through the air.

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Noodle screeched as a dousing WATER PULSE was sent his way. He scrambled, darting away from the onslaught—though some of the torrent still caught his hindquarters. Jarring with the electric-type, static and sparks crackled around him as he grumbled low and irritable.[break][break]

But that wasn’t where Lam’s own concerns rested.[break][break]

He frowned as he watched the zippy little yanma manage to evade a third attack. Without any lock-on sorts of moves, how in the world were they meant to catch it? He studied the field, years of working with his father in the wild allowing him to somewhat turn out the honks and caws of the pelipper flock.[break][break]

So, it seemed a calculated risk was in order.[break][break]

Poppy refused to let up as she darted through the air in attempts to catch the yanma. Feathery wings drummed up wind beneath them as she twisted with a flurry of chirps and sent an AIR SLASH hurtling at the yanma.[break][break]

But it was no more than a distraction—as Poppy worked from the air, Lam instructed Noodle from the ground. “Assist!” The shinx was quick to temporarily abandon his beef with the other shimmery pokemon. Rather than aim at the wingull, as pidove above provided a move for the yanma to dodge, the shinx sent up a THUNDER WAVE intending to stun the buzzing bug before turning back to the green-tipped seabird.[break][break]

Out of sight, but not wholly forgotten—even if turning tail briefly allowed the wingull more precision.